The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1887-11-23
FofsElcN GOSSIP

n The King of Saxony las opened
at Dresden the first German exhibition
Of winter colors- AL of the European
nations save fle British are repre-
scented in the 2. 200 specimens. .s
v The cruel punishment OF slow
death by hanging so as 10 stand on
the tips Of the toes is stiIl extensively
inflicted in China The barbarous
custom Of comforting honors on
widows who commit suicide is also
continued.
AT the recent festival Of Big Joss
Pidgar. in Canton. the temple was
lighted with ten large 1000 candle
power electric lights, which bright
ened the interior, and lit up the hide
Gus features of the assembled demons
and josses.
The report that Lake Ngami, in
South Africa, which was one OF the
earliest notable discoveries of Living
stone, is gradually driving up. has
been confirmed by DE- Schinz Ger
man explorer, who recently Wis tied
the lake.
An association was recently or
ganized in Scotland for the systematic
cultivation of mushrooms ON large
scale. The mushrooms are grown in
disused tunnel of the North British
railway in Edinburgh. The tunnel ia
about three-quarters of q mile long,
and eight hundred yards are occupied
1.x- al n. -, he ~
which fourteen men are employed. =
~ Y Ledger
Popular fajth is being nailed to
llypnotism in France, where all kinds
of ailments and peculiarities are now
being treated by the mesrerists. The
cure of drunkenness has been attempt
ed by what is called suggestion the
patient, while under control, being
ordered to abstain from all intoxicants.
and success is said to have been
achieved. -ArkuHsdw 7rdUeler
In certain periodical it is stated
the Jews in Moldavia have a method
of making honey into q hard white
sugar, which is employed by the dis
tillers of Dantzic to make their liquors.
The process consists in exposing the
honey TO the frost during three weeks,
sheltered from the sun and the snow,
in vase of some material, which is a
bad conductor of heat. The honey does
not freeze, but becomes hard as sugar,
transparent and white.
The famous floating island of the
Derweptwater, England, has ONE to
the surface again after long disap.
pearance. This is mass of decaying
vegetation forming q layer of peat, on
top of which is thin covering of clay
bound together by the roots of vegeta-
ton. II rests on the clay bottom of
the lake, but sometimes some force.
supposed 10 be in the gases generated
by the decaying matter, causes it to
rise to the surface. Its extent some-
times reaches half an acre, and it rises
and falls with the water, until finally
it sinks out of sight again. to be gone
probably for several years.
in the Bahama Islands there are
three sorts Of soil--white, black and
red. The white consists chiefly of cal
careous sand. The black is vegetable
mold, and very fertile. The red earth,
however, is described in recent GOV
eminent report as being the most inn
portant and fertile of all. 1t contains
considerable oxide of iron. but geol-
ogists are at n loss to account for its
origin, rs no similar soil is found in
the neighboring submarine banks, or
by soundings in the deep sea bed about
the islands. On some of the larger
islands it covers thousands of acres. =
~ Y. Ledger.
Travellers in Manchuria suffer
tortures in warm weather from the at
tacks of midges and gad-flies Mr. II.
Z. M. James. of the Bombay civil
service, says if there be time when
life is not worth living it is summer in
the forests of Manchuria. Clouds of
midges darken the air and bite fierce
ly. Men at the pillow wear cTclets of
iron on their heads in which are placed
bits Of burning touchwood, the smoke
of which keeps off the insects. The
gad-fles attack animals more than
they do men. They are as large as
stag beetles, and pierce mules hide
with great rapidity, so that the beast
will soon be covered with streams OF
blood. Fortunately. they are sluggish
and easily killed IN y Ledger.